The outside bar is just as vibrant as inside... Two worlds in one place
Jeffrey Becker
I really wanted to enjoy Althea more as a big fan of their sister restaurant Viale. Unfortunately despite not being busy at all. 1:30pm on a Saturday. The food was very dissapointing. I ordered the Tartar, the Pork Ribs and The Gravlax Benedict.
Steak Tartar was a very generous portion but completely bland and greasy. It also tasted very strongly of raw onion. Overpoweringly so. I took a few bites but ultimately couldn't finish it.
The Pork Ribs were very tough and chewy. Like tearing through jerky. Not exactly what one wants when eating ribs. The seasoning and sauce were really good though. Sweet, tangy, seasoned. I got most of the way through one but left the 2nd.
The Salmon Benny was the best of the 3. The homefries were delicate, crispy and well seasoned. While the Hollaindaise itself was bland. The salmon itself was delicate and had a decent taste to it. The egg itself was poached perfectly. It wasnt the best Benedict ive ever had nor was it even close but it was serviceable.
I'm sure ill be back at some point to try out their dinner service but its gonna be far down my list. Dont reccomend 4/10
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 2
Service: 4
Tracey Watson
Cozy place in Cambridge! The staff was great and the food, although a short menu, was tasty. Could be a bit of an improvement with the wine list. I was a bit disturbed by the automatic kitchen tip that was snuck onto the bill. We almost tipped on top of that. Overall was good.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
Portia Freeman
Great cocktails, very attentive service, nice heaters outside, and our server brought us complementary aperitifs! I had a great time and would definitely go again. I heard it’s owned by the same family as Viale, so my good experience makes sense.
Kim R.
I went to Althea twice in the last 3 weeks. The Smokey corn chowder is amazing. Also had the shrimp and grits which has a beautiful, slightly spicy and extremely flavorful sauce. On another visit we had the smoked chicken dish which is amazing and I had the warm beet salad. We also had the swordfish and beef brisket dishes and both were delicious!! The atmosphere is warm and inviting, the specialty cocktails were great as was the service. One of the nights there was a band playing out on the back patio which was really fun. We’ll definately be back!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Vale Borquez
The shrimp and grits they serve during happy hour is spectacular. I’m not a fan of shrimp and grits in general, but the way they prepare this dish with the red sauce and Spanish chorizo is amazing. The beer was served cold and the $1 oysters were clean and fresh. Ambiance and service were great too. Keep it up!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Ting Xiong
FOOD POISONING!!! DON’T GET $1 OYSTERS FROM HERE!!! I’ve been to a few dollar oyster places and this is by far the worst. There was still MUD in the oysters and bits of shell from shucking. The oysters were tiny and fishy. Both my partner and I had food poisoning after this meal. I’ve had much better oysters on non-coastal cities. Also the small plates are tiny 🤏🏻Will not be returning.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 1
Service: 2
Sayantan Mondal
Nice ambiance. No loud music. Great for conversation. Good food. Had swordfish...was a little dry.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Spicy Crab Spaghetti
Kristine Liu
Totally feels like a date night! The interior is dimly lit, well-decorated and exudes a cozy atmosphere. We came in on a Sunday evening with no reservation but were seated immediately. My boyfriend loved the 60s music they were playing all evening.
Ordered the Brussels sprouts which were super crispy and well-seasoned. Then we each got the brisket burgers! The burgers were tender and juicy but my only gripe is that the waiter didn’t ask us how we wanted our burgers. (Would have liked medium rare instead of medium)
Overall, would come back for an easy, quiet and quick date night or just drinks with friends
Kathleen Chang
This restaurant is not nearly as good as their sister restaurant Viale. The food is not as thoughtful or tasty. This restaurant has a lot of BBQ dishes and small portions, so you could order more plates, but I don't think that's clear from the menu, aside from the prices. The portions on the tapa sized dishes seemed too small for even 2 people, like each bite is over $5, and it leaves more to be desired.
Their beverage selection is limited, and the cocktails I tried were also not as good as Viale. They weren't strong enough or layered in flavors.
The atmosphere is fine. I think this restaurant would benefit from locking in to one concept (either go all tapas, or more entree/appetizer/sides) and reducing the number of dishes they offer.
Wow I was here on a Monday night and they had live music on the patio…came for one drink but stayed for 5! Amazing atmosphere and really brightened my Monday vibes 💜💜💜
Audrey J
Incredible first visit for brunch this weekend! Staff was so chill, portions were great, refills on Iced Coffee was a dream. So many options for GF, and vegans, which I had in my group. We will be back! :)
jack doe
brunch was delicious - highly recommend the flat iron steak & fried brussels :) & for a n/a option the ripple on rhub was a 10/10. service was great - thanks emily!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Joe McDonald
Felt compelled to write a review after our second visit, for a birthday.
Food and drink was excellent (as it was the first time we came) but couldn’t get over how special the birthday girl was made to feel. They really went above and beyond, the chef (and owner? Unsure) came over to deliver our appetizers and wish her a happy birthday as well.
Wait staff has been awesome, really attentive.
The spicy crab spaghetti is one of my favorite dishes at any area restaurant.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Obed Daphnis
Spectacular! I took some family from out of town here for their anniversary and they couldn’t stop raving about it! We sat inside & the decor was simple yet upscale and the outdoor seating area looked cool. We loved everything that came to the table. Healthy portions and reasonable prices. Can’t wait to go again.
The outside bar is just as vibrant as inside... Two worlds in one place
I really wanted to enjoy Althea more as a big fan of their sister restaurant Viale. Unfortunately despite not being busy at all. 1:30pm on a Saturday. The food was very dissapointing. I ordered the Tartar, the Pork Ribs and The Gravlax Benedict.
Steak Tartar was a very generous portion but completely bland and greasy. It also tasted very strongly of raw onion. Overpoweringly so. I took a few bites but ultimately couldn't finish it.
The Pork Ribs were very tough and chewy. Like tearing through jerky. Not exactly what one wants when eating ribs. The seasoning and sauce were really good though. Sweet, tangy, seasoned. I got most of the way through one but left the 2nd.
The Salmon Benny was the best of the 3. The homefries were delicate, crispy and well seasoned. While the Hollaindaise itself was bland. The salmon itself was delicate and had a decent taste to it. The egg itself was poached perfectly. It wasnt the best Benedict ive ever had nor was it even close but it was serviceable.
I'm sure ill be back at some point to try out their dinner service but its gonna be far down my list. Dont reccomend 4/10
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 2
Service: 4
Cozy place in Cambridge! The staff was great and the food, although a short menu, was tasty. Could be a bit of an improvement with the wine list. I was a bit disturbed by the automatic kitchen tip that was snuck onto the bill. We almost tipped on top of that. Overall was good.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
Great cocktails, very attentive service, nice heaters outside, and our server brought us complementary aperitifs! I had a great time and would definitely go again. I heard it’s owned by the same family as Viale, so my good experience makes sense.
I went to Althea twice in the last 3 weeks. The Smokey corn chowder is amazing. Also had the shrimp and grits which has a beautiful, slightly spicy and extremely flavorful sauce. On another visit we had the smoked chicken dish which is amazing and I had the warm beet salad. We also had the swordfish and beef brisket dishes and both were delicious!! The atmosphere is warm and inviting, the specialty cocktails were great as was the service. One of the nights there was a band playing out on the back patio which was really fun. We’ll definately be back!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
The shrimp and grits they serve during happy hour is spectacular. I’m not a fan of shrimp and grits in general, but the way they prepare this dish with the red sauce and Spanish chorizo is amazing. The beer was served cold and the $1 oysters were clean and fresh. Ambiance and service were great too. Keep it up!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
FOOD POISONING!!! DON’T GET $1 OYSTERS FROM HERE!!! I’ve been to a few dollar oyster places and this is by far the worst. There was still MUD in the oysters and bits of shell from shucking. The oysters were tiny and fishy. Both my partner and I had food poisoning after this meal. I’ve had much better oysters on non-coastal cities. Also the small plates are tiny 🤏🏻Will not be returning.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 1
Service: 2
Nice ambiance. No loud music. Great for conversation. Good food. Had swordfish...was a little dry.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Spicy Crab Spaghetti
Totally feels like a date night! The interior is dimly lit, well-decorated and exudes a cozy atmosphere. We came in on a Sunday evening with no reservation but were seated immediately. My boyfriend loved the 60s music they were playing all evening.
Ordered the Brussels sprouts which were super crispy and well-seasoned. Then we each got the brisket burgers! The burgers were tender and juicy but my only gripe is that the waiter didn’t ask us how we wanted our burgers. (Would have liked medium rare instead of medium)
Overall, would come back for an easy, quiet and quick date night or just drinks with friends
This restaurant is not nearly as good as their sister restaurant Viale. The food is not as thoughtful or tasty. This restaurant has a lot of BBQ dishes and small portions, so you could order more plates, but I don't think that's clear from the menu, aside from the prices. The portions on the tapa sized dishes seemed too small for even 2 people, like each bite is over $5, and it leaves more to be desired.
Their beverage selection is limited, and the cocktails I tried were also not as good as Viale. They weren't strong enough or layered in flavors.
The atmosphere is fine. I think this restaurant would benefit from locking in to one concept (either go all tapas, or more entree/appetizer/sides) and reducing the number of dishes they offer.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 2
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
Wow I was here on a Monday night and they had live music on the patio…came for one drink but stayed for 5! Amazing atmosphere and really brightened my Monday vibes 💜💜💜
Incredible first visit for brunch this weekend! Staff was so chill, portions were great, refills on Iced Coffee was a dream. So many options for GF, and vegans, which I had in my group. We will be back! :)
brunch was delicious - highly recommend the flat iron steak & fried brussels :) & for a n/a option the ripple on rhub was a 10/10. service was great - thanks emily!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Felt compelled to write a review after our second visit, for a birthday.
Food and drink was excellent (as it was the first time we came) but couldn’t get over how special the birthday girl was made to feel. They really went above and beyond, the chef (and owner? Unsure) came over to deliver our appetizers and wish her a happy birthday as well.
Wait staff has been awesome, really attentive.
The spicy crab spaghetti is one of my favorite dishes at any area restaurant.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Spectacular! I took some family from out of town here for their anniversary and they couldn’t stop raving about it! We sat inside & the decor was simple yet upscale and the outdoor seating area looked cool. We loved everything that came to the table. Healthy portions and reasonable prices. Can’t wait to go again.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
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